1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a connector device in with male and female connectors that are connected separately.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-283975 discloses a known electronic control unit (ECU) with connectors on side surfaces of an ECU casing. The connectors are mated with connectors at ends of a wiring harness. The ECU connector has a lock and the harness-side connector has a resilient lock arm that engages the lock for locking the connectors together.
A force may act to separate the locked connectors. Such a force might be generated, for example, if the wiring harness drawn out from the harness-side connector is pulled inadvertently. An excessive force of this type could fracture the lock or other parts of the locking mechanism. The device-side connector could be integral with the ECU casing. Thus, a lock failure could require replacement of the entire ECU casing and could require considerable labor and cost for repair.
The invention was developed in view of the above problem and an object thereof is to improve operational efficiency and to allow an easier exchange of connectors.